Optometry School Requirements and Optometry Admission Test (OAT)

Prospective optometric students should be acquainted with the required courses necessary for the schools or colleges they expect to attend. Requirements may vary per optometry school and students are encouraged to research the admissions criteria of the professional school to which they will be applying.

Optometry School Requirements

All_accredited schools and colleges of optometry in the United States require a minimum of three years of pre-optometric studies and four years of professional courses. However, more than 75 percent of all successful applicants complete bachelor’s degrees before entering schools of optometry.

The Optometry Admission Test (OAT)

Applicants to all schools and colleges of optometry in the United States are required to take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). This exam is designed to evaluate general academic ability and comprehension of scientific principles. There is a registration deadline, usually about six weeks prior to the test date. The OAT is multiple-choice and composed of four sections: Survey of natural sciences (biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry), reading comprehension, quantitative reasoning, and physics. The exam scores are based on the number of right answers with a range from 200 to 400—there is no failing or passing score.